Whoever Said?
by Neverland's Kitsune X
Summary: Yuki Shiki, that girl whom won't try, attempt, or even bother getting up. Known around Seigaku as 'the one who's always sleeping', you'd think she would be the last person to attract the tennis team's attention. And it just had to be the regulars. Maybe they'll be able to solve her, the puzzle. But with her as the new manager, it certainly is more interesting. Rated T for swearing.
1. Don't Ever Assume

Whoever said that she _liked_ playing tennis?

* * *

As Yuki Shiki walked through the hallways of Seigaku high school, she absentmindedly tied knots in her hair.

A terrible habit really, but any and every habit was hard to break.

At least she had a… semi-decent excuse for all those split ends soon to come. With her fingers nimbly combing out a thin section of hair, she'd tie them loosely to feel them slip by her fingers again. And again. And once more.

Nobody paid her much mind, a few more bad rumors wouldn't help her nonexistent reputation. She was most commonly known as 'the lazy girl', or 'the one who doesn't even try'.

Truth come out, she was merely bored. Her… friend? She wouldn't know what to call Mimi Kisuraki, the energetic girl who dragged her around campus to be more social. Anyways, Mimi had been the one who signed her up for the tennis team. _Girl's_ tennis team, mind you. It would have sparked an interest in Shiki _if_ half the team wasn't made of fangirls. Sure, the regulars and a few others were serious and pretty good at the sport, but everyone else?

Naw, they just wanted to stare at the boy's tennis club. Shiki felt no reason to attempt anything if the majority wouldn't either. Besides, she preferred sleeping to any exercise.

As she (finally!) reached the godforsaken library, she quickly picked out some random books, sat down at a lonely table in the back, and proceeded to flip through pages, catching whatever tidbits of information stuck out to her and easily memorizing everything else, storing it away in some part of her brain. Shiki was actually quite ahead of her peers, but seeing as she spent most of her time asleep in class, her test scores dropped to average instead of advanced. A lazy genius if you would.

With a sigh, Shiki dropped her head onto the book, arms curled underneath her head. Sleeping once again. The late nights were tiring her out.

And this, is where the main story starts.

* * *

"... Now what?" Momoshiro Takeshi could only stare at the third-year girl who was snoozing away on the book he needed for his history essay.

Behind the power player was the rest of Seigaku's male tennis team, regulars only. And Inui. Tezuka sighed.

"Momoshiro, we need to hurry." He stated in that monotone of his.

"But, Buchou, how am I supposed to get the book away from her?" Momoshiro tugged at his hair.

"Ah, who is she anyways?" Kawamura spoke up. He could have sworn she looked familiar…

"Shiki Yuki, age 16, third-year. Height and weight unknown. She has average grades, and is mostly seen around campus sleeping. Possibly narcoleptic. She is in the girl's tennis club, though she sleeps there as well. Nothing very notable about her, besides her being among some of our classes." Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, making them shine and glare.

"Just wake her up." Ryoma wanted to hurry up and leave, Momoshiro had said he was going to treat him to hamburgers.

"Nya, she's pretty cute, ne Fujioko?" Eiji asked the smiling tensai.

"Saaa… She seems nice enough, though not very interesting…" Shusuke wanted to leave as well. The girl could be another fangirl for all he knew. And as Inui had said, nothing very notable.

"Pshhh, just hurry up." Kaidoh wasn't sure why he was still there to be honest.

"But she's a senpai! It'd be rude to wake her up. Can't one of you guys do it?" Momoshiro looked to his upperclassmen pleadingly.

"Well, we don't know her that well either Momo, so it'd also be quite rude." Oishi explained, which led to an argument on who'd wake up the girl.

Shiki, even with a full blown conversation next to her, was still asleep. Ryoma walked forwards towards her and poked her cheek. He really wanted to get out of here. The others (minus Tezuka, Inui, and Shusuke) paled at his disrespect. Who knew what Shiki would do-

Oh. She's woken up.

With a yawn, Shiki stretched her arms skywards and sagged backwards in her seat, slouching as her arms draped across the back of the wooden chair. She looked over to the boys, her eyes half-mast and glazed over.

"Hm? Did you guys want something?" She asked, unsure why she was being stared at by 8?- No, 9 boys. There was one in the back, with elvis hair, shying away from the spotlight.

Momoshiro stepped forwards. It was his essay after all.

"Yeah, do you still need that book? I'm writing an essay and I need to borrow it." He explained.

Shiki glanced at the book cover and looked back to Momoshiro, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oi, you a second year?"

Momoshiro nodded slowly, unsure if that was the wrong answer.

"Takeshina's class, ne?" Shiki raised an eyebrow, referring to the strict history second-year teacher.

Momoshiro nodded once more.

Shiki offered a lopsided grin. "Oi, focus more on analyzing the main contributors to the war and include dates every two paragraphs or so. Takeshina's class was a b*tch. Good luck kouhai-kun." Handing off the book to a stunned-into-silence Momo, she got up herself and patted off the imaginary dust on her uniform pants.

With her tennis case slung over a shoulder, hair stuck under the strap, Shiki Yuki walked out of the library, but into the regulars' lives.

* * *

Whoever said she _liked_ playing tennis was right.


	2. Nobody Gave Me, the Benefit of a Doubt

Whoever said, she wasn't smart?

Whoever said, she wasn't good at tennis?

* * *

It was a peaceful kind of quiet on the school roof. Well, at least until _some_ people just had to come along...

"Fujioko-chan, look, it's that girl again!" Eiji pointed at the sleeping figure slumped over a bench.

"Saaa… Perhaps we should leave then." Shusuke responded quickly, hoping she wasn't a fangirl and wasn't going to awaken and pounce them.

"Nya, I'm sure we don't have to leave, right Oishi?" Eiji turned to the third member of the group.

"Well, what do you think Tezuka?" And so the third member of the group turned to the last member of the group.

"She's not bothering us, so there shouldn't be a problem." Tezuka stated simply, already having seated himself on another bench and opened his bento.

"Saaa… I suppose so." Shusuke shrugged and took a seat reluctantly. He still didn't know if she was a fangirl or not.

"Remember to stay quiet Eiji, she is still sleeping." Oishi reminded the red-head.

Said red-head was contemplating whether or not he should hug the girl with the chestnut brown hair that held caramel colored highlights when the light hit it just right.

"Nya, fine Oishi." Eiji sulked, beginning to eat his bento.

Yuki Shiki shifted, face scrunching up as she yawned. Eyelids that hid her light hazel eyes fluttered open. Swinging her legs over the edge of the wooden bench, she met eyes with four of Seigaku's tennis prides and joys.

Tilting her head, lazy, cloudy, and still sleepy eyes were half showcased and half hidden through the curtain of bangs.

"Oh. Someone else came up here. And I thought I could sleep in peace during lunch…" Shiki mumbled to herself, though with the silent air around them, the others heard as well.

Shiki yawned again before standing up completely. "I'll leave you guys now." She rubbed at her eyes tiredly as she picked up her tennis case that was underneath the bench.

"Saaa… You could stay if you wished." Shusuke was fairly certain she wasn't a fangirl. Or, at least not one of their fangirls. It was good enough for him.

Shiki raised an eyebrow at him. "Well that's new."

"Nya, you can sit next to me Yuki-chan! And what's new?" Eiji waved excitedly and patted the empty spot beside him.

"Being wanted around." Shiki answered easily as she plopped down on the new spot. "Oh, and you can just call me Shiki. Yuki is… snow is… My family name's a bit... eh, just call me Shiki please. And who are you anyways?"

"Nya, okay Shiki-chan! My name's Eiji Kikumaru, this is my doubles partner in tennis Oishi Shuichiro, the one who's smiling is Fuji Shusuke, and the one with the glasses is Tezuka Kunimitsu, nya! Hey, did you do the essay for English yet? It's so hard, but I bet you know that too, since you get pretty low grades. N-Not that I'm saying you're stupid or anything, it's just that-" Eiji got cut off in his rambling by the subject of the ramble herself.

"For the essay, just highlight the main events of the book you chose, then proceed to write about how 'inspiring it was' or how you felt during and after reading it. I'd suggest basing the essay off a more emotional book so you can describe it easier." Shiki twisted and twirled another small section of her hair into a knot before briefly tugging it and making it fall loose.

". . . Shiki-chan, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know these kinds of things?" Oishi voiced out nervously. Did she look in the teacher's notes? Cheating? How scandalous...

Shiki cast a sideways look over to him before sighing a bit. "I'm not that stupid, I just get too lazy to do things so I end up with an average grade each time. Besides, I don't want any attention, it makes it so much harder to sleep. As for about the essay, I've used that technique for a few years and it grabs me a B+ at the least every time. Then again, I don't usually finish them…" She trailed off, thinking about her unfinished work.

"Really?! That's going to work, nya? Thank you so much Shiki-chan!" Eiji side glomped the girl, and with his unexpected added weight, they fell onto the bench together.

"... Excuse me, Eiji-kun, you're squishing me." Shiki stated in a monotone as she was being crushed by the hyper-active redhead.

"Nya, I'm so sorry Shiki-chan!" Eiji bounced back into a sitting position, eyes full of worry like Oishi's.

Shiki slowly pushed herself off the bench and into a sitting decently position. She blew a lock of her hair away from her face.

"Eh, I'm fine, you didn't break any bones or anything." She shrugged, then mumbled something quietly, though not quietly enough that the other four couldn't hear it. "My boobs hurt now though."

And cue Eiji and Oishi slightly blushing, Shusuke's sadistic smile appearing, and Tezuka nearly choking on his food.

* * *

Ow. That hurt. My chest feels all… in pain now. Owwies.

". . ." I really had nothing else to say. I yawned and leaned back in my seat. The late nights are really getting to me.

"Saaa… We have two free periods today because the teachers are having some difficulties with classes. Why don't we go down to the tennis courts?" That one with the smile… Shusuke? suggested.

"Ah," … Tezuka? paused. "As long as we are not bothering any others, it should be fine."

"Nya, do you want to come with us Shiki-chan? You have a racket too, and we can play against each other if you want!" Eiji clutched my hands excitedly.

And that's how I ended up at the male's tennis courts standing across the net from the bouncy red-head.

"Nya, I'll serve first Shiki-chan!" Eiji shouted.

That other one… Oishi? was the referee. Tezuka and Shusuke were rallying besides us, but mainly watching.

"The match between Yuki Shiki and Eiji Kikumaru will now start!"

Eiji served, and it was a normal serve. Nothing much to it. I hit it back easily, then yawned. Oh gawd, I just wanted to sleep… I wonder how much time I'll have left to rest if I finish this as fast as possible?

Eiji hit it back, and that was when I discovered he was an acrobat. He did a front-flip, and I've got to say, I'm damn impressed. That took me a month to learn, backflips are so much easier.

He ran up to the net as I returned the ball. He must also be a serve and volley player. Wait, earlier I think he told me Oishi was his doubles partner… so perhaps he's the half that attacks as Oishi defends in the back?

"Nya, watch this Shiki-chan! Ki-ku-ma-ru Beam!~" He called out as he reached his arm around himself and hit the tennis ball with more force than I expected he could in that position so close to the net.

I leaned back on my heels, then jumped forwards in less than a second. My racket was brought close to my chest before I thrust it out in an arch, hitting a solid backhand.

"Suit of Cards: Diamond Ace!" I called out, seeing as it was my turn to show up and show off.

The ball flew past the net, landed in a bounce in front of Eiji, then the mirage started. Whereas only one ball should have appeared, with my move, I had caused a special front spin and side spin on the ball that made it look like there were two balls on the court at the same time. They hit on both sides of Eiji, bounced back up, and met in a collision behind him to fall without a fight or spin left on the ground.

In the dust cause byd my move, four line were clear. They trapped Eiji within a diamond.

I named my move that for a reason, duh.

Eiji was staring wide-eyed at me. I blinked, tilting my head.

"It looks like your eyeballs are going to fall out." I noted calmly with a simple nod before an all too familiar jolt came to me and started pounding on my head.

"Nya, how did you do that Shiki-chan?! That was so cool, and you-"

"I'm sorry Eiji-kun, but I really want to go back to sleep. I really need to rest. I forfeit." I raised my hand, looked pointedly at Oishi who stammered out Eiji was the winner, and walked off the courts, putting my racket back in its case.

"B-But why Shiki-chan? We weren't finished playing yet!" Eiji, dare I say it?, whined.

I sighed loudly and rubbed my forehead. "Headache. Oh god, where did I put my pills…" I unzipped the smaller pocket in my tennis case and took out an orange bottle with my prescription drugs.

I popped two aspirins in my mouth and swallowed them dry, gagging and sticking out my tongue at the dryness as an aftertaste.

"... Shiki-chan, are you alright?" Eiji appeared next to me, looking very concerned might I add.

"... Headache, that's all. I'm sure I'll be fine…" I mumbled as I plopped down on the wooden bench with a tired sigh.

"Shiki-chan, do you need anything? Water maybe?" Oishi came up to me as well.

"I'm fine, just need some sleep." I closed my eyes. Maybe I can just stay here….

"Saaa… Are you sure Shiki- _chan_? You've already slept so much." Shusuke's voice was mocking me it seemed. He didn't believe me. I shouldn't have expected anything more.

"Yes, but a growing girl needs her rest, ne?" I shrugged and zipped my racket case closed.

"Saaa… Why were you really on the roof Shiki-chan?" Shusuke's voice sounded like poison.

"I. Was. Sleeping." I enunciated slowly.

". . ." I could tell he didn't believe me. So f-ing be it.

"It's fine if you think I'm lying, I'm used to that." I yawned and slung my case over a shoulder.

As I started walking away, I heard Eiji asking Shusuke something about 'why?'

I'd like to ask that question too. I'd like an answer as well. But more of it directed at my life.

Why? Why did they die? Why was I left alive? Why doesn't anyone notice?

I glanced down at my wrist warmer, the black outline with two red and blue stripes trapped in the middle taunting me. I knew what lay underneath. Only me, and one other person. Or perhaps he had told others as well?

I'm not as innocent as I was before. Not anymore.

But I don't regret it. I saved someone.

That's good enough for me.

* * *

Whoever said, she wasn't smart, was wrong.

Whoever said, she wasn't good at tennis, was wrong.

* * *

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Yay, another update!~ What should I tackle next..?**

 **I've got some other chapter drafts for other stories, but none seem ready to be published yet.**

 **And I suggest** **Paper Cranes** **for a good Yukimura x OC read. It's a one-shot, and capture so many feelings perfectly. By Vieux. Prepare tissues.**


	3. Given Few Choices, Given Many Threats

**Hello my darling readers. Fun fact about Shiki in other Author's Note at bottom.**

 **Shout-out to Lynxkitten for sending me support. =v= I type faster with sugar and encouragement. You are always free to PM me and I'll try to answer as soon as possible.**

 **Interested in Kuroko no Basuke, genderbent? There's a good one shot of Kuroko _Tetsumi_ x Kagami Taiga by Newey07. It's called ****Not as Invisible as One Might Think.** **I found it adorable and humorous. Ah, young love and jealousy and secret pictures taken without permission from the model.**

* * *

Whoever said, she wasn't a sociable person?

Whoever said, she wasn't a competitive person?

Whoever said, she was a bad tennis player?

* * *

"Yuki Shiki, wake up right now! That was the last straw, go over to the principal's office right this instance!" Teruma Takao, the high-school's upper grades' history teacher, shouted at the dozing girl.

"... Oh, guess I fell asleep again." Shiki stood with a yawn, not even bothering to pretend to be embarrassed. Holding her bag to her chest with an arm, she began the walk to her fate. More sleep.

Tezuka Kunimitsu sighed, just the barest bit. That was the third time the girl who had beaten one of the regulars in tennis had fallen asleep, and he was getting tired of the interruptions. Although, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest amount of pity as the door was closed quietly behind the girl.

"Alright class, if you were here last year and listened to the last batch of students in my class, then you would know that I assign a project worth seventy percent of your grade in this semester every year. This year will be no different. I expect you, as responsible young adults, to be able to make your own decisions. Partner up, gender does not matter, and sit at a shared desk with your partner from now on, until the project is over. I will explain the project in more detail tomorrow after everyone has found someone they should be able to work well with to attain a good grade." Teruma adjusted his glasses and nodded, indicating the students could look for a partner now, an instant buzz and chatter filling the air.

Teruma Takao was fairly young, a fresh out of college boy who was looking for a job. The 22 year old ended up at Seigaku High through a few recommendations. Having had skipped two grades in primary, he was very well, a genius. His Bachelor's degree proved it if nothing else. A sigh escaped his lips as many 17, and a few 18 year olds surrounded a certain desk. The said surrounders being more of the female gender.

"Kyaaa, you'll be my partner, right Tezuka-san?!"

"No, he's going to be _my_ partner!"

"Why would he want somebody ugly like you?"

"What did you call me?!"

"No, he's working with me!"

And of course a few… leaching boys were there as well.

"Hey, Tezuka, you won't mind helping me boost my grade up a bit, ne?"

"No way, I need it more than you!"

"I'm going to have to repeat if you don't help me!"

Teruma grew an irk mark on his head.

"Enough!" He shouted, effectively silencing everyone for the time being. "Since it appears you all cannot solve a simple issue, and the fact that Tezuka-kun seems neutral in the matter of who will be his partner, I will pick for him. Are you alright with this, or do you already have someone in mind Tezuka-kun?"

Tezuka shook his head. He just hoped it wasn't a fangirl, though that was a very small chance as it seemed most boys were already paired up and every girl left unpaired was in his fan club, though not to brag. For him, it honestly wasn't something to brag about. He was smothered with chocolates on Valentine's Day and buried under bentos on Fridays. As long as he could work with whoever his teacher chose, he supposed it would be fine.

"Then I'll spare you from those girls and give you Yuki Shiki to work with." Teruma stated dryly, ignoring the indignified gasps from the fangirls. Even he could tell his student had it hard, Teruma himself was quite popular in high school as well, but this was a whole new level.

Tezuka's mind froze. Yuki Shiki. Her. Oh, dear lord no. Why? Shiki was famed for being the laziest in class, and of course also one of those 'barely passing' students, managing each semester by C's and maybe one B+ in P.E or Art.

She was also known for doing solo projects. Teachers would consent to her doing every single project, big or small, from shoebox diagrams to book reports, by herself. He wasn't sure what to make of this. Was she really so unsociable?

The bell rang, a sharp trilling noise that near everyone in the building complained hurt their ears. Students stood, beginning to leave the room for lunch before their next class, passing a thanks to Teruma who nodded back at them in turn, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

"Tezuka-kun, could you stay after for a moment?" Teruma turned his attention to the boy he believed could help one of his most promising students.

"Ah, yes Teruma-sensei?" Tezuka asked respectfully, having planned on staying anyways. Whenever Shusuke was busy with photography club during lunch, he would eat in this room, a silent Teruma also eating, away from fangirls.

Teruma turned serious, expression set. "This may be the key to helping out your classmate Tezuka-kun. Yuki Shiki, as you may or may not know, is a very bright mind, although she doesn't show it much. I am not sure how much she socializes, but based on the fact she never seems to eat lunch with others, I can guess she's more of a loner. Please Tezuka-kun, she could have a bright future if she manages to pull her act together-" Teruma was cut off as the door opened.

"So-rry, was I interrupting anything?" Shiki tilted her head to the side, eyes blinking slowly, eyelids resting longer closed as the seconds passed, as if stating she was soon to fall asleep on her feet.

"Nothing I can't discuss with Tezuka-kun later Yuki-" Teruma was then cut off again.

"Please call me by my first name sensei, I hate my family name… I'll leave soon, but may I search the room first? I seem to have lost something of mine." Shiki sighed lightly, as if wishing her object could hurry up and get unlost.

"That's fine, and… Shiki? Your partner for an important project will be Tezuka-kun here." Teruma waited for the line he knew was to come soon.

"Eh? Can't I do it by myself sensei?" Shiki raised an eyebrow, eyes suddenly brighter in defiance.

"This project I will explain tomorrow in more detail, but you should know that it is done in pairs of twos for a good reason." Teruma lay out the facts for her quite easily.

"Teruma-sensei," Shiki's voice took on an edge. "Don't you know it's a terrible idea to partner up a genius with an idiot? The idiot will drag the genius down to their level and beat them with experience. I'm sure Tezuka-san has many… willing… acquaintances to help him… Tezuka-san has a fanbase that includes just about every female in the school, the secretaries at the office included. I'm positive he can find a much more helpful partner to work with." Shiki's posture straightened out, head held higher, gaze still through half-lidded eyes yet sharper, and an aura around her that spoke of commanding respect.

"Then what about you Shiki? The project's worth seventy percent of your grade this semester." Teruma asked in a gentle tone. In reality, he was thinking 'Checkmate'.

"Then I… I'll… You sneaky son born out of wedlock, fine I'll fu- goddam- I give! I'll work with a partner for this, but no more after this!" Shiki huffed, eyes glowing with anger, and mainly annoyance.

She turned with a flick of her hair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I still have to find my damned hair clip."

Three minutes later of crawling on her knees, Shiki found her clip, Tezuka finished a chapter in his book and was halfway through his bento, and Teruma realized the hidden insult in Shiki's submittance, along with also finishing half of his lunch.

"Hey, my parents were married when I was born!" The normally composed teacher cried indignantly, though a playful undertone lay in his speech as well. As one of the younger teachers, he was able to connect with students easier, although he made it clear class was no time for jokes.

"That was all you got from it?" Shiki deadpanned, hand raising to cover a yawn that crinkled her nose.

"Well, what else?" Teruma asked warily.

"Fun fact sensei, a b*stard can be an unpleasant and despicable person, _or_ a person who was born before their parents were married." Shiki offered a lopsided smirk, shrugging her shoulders as well, along with blatantly ignoring the fact she swore in front of a teacher, who luckily didn't care.

"That was rude Shiki." Teruma stared blankly at his female student. "And where's your lunch?" He made a show of looking around for the meal he already predicted wasn't there. Shiki had slept through lunch in his classroom more times than he could recall, and she only woke when the bell rang to trudge to the next class. He never saw her eat a meal. Drink Ponta? A few times, but she never showed up with a bento or simple sandwich.

"I had lunch." Shiki stated in a vague, monotone way.

"When?" Teruma's eyes narrowed. He believed that it was his job as a teacher to also care for the well-being of his students. Not to mention one of his younger sisters used to 'diet' in high school, starving herself and skipping meals to try and impress some jerk boy. All that led to was her fainting and ending up in the hospital for a week.

". . . Two days ago…?" Shiki blinked, eyebrows furrowing together. "No, wait, it was… three days ago. That sounds 'bout right." She muttered near the end.

Now let me remind you all that Tezuka is still in the classroom, and while he has a book and bento to distract his attention, some things are far more interesting than a historical fiction novel. Not food though, he was still eating, but he's a slow eater, can't quite blame him.

"Why aren't you eating your meals Shiki? It's unhealthy, especially for a young girl like you." Teruma scolded, eyes showcasing his worry.

Shiki shrugged. I wasn't as if she was about to tell him, a teacher no less, about such a personal matter in her life.

"Do your parents know about this?" Teruma asked, and that was when the dam broke down.

"Yeah." Shiki's voice was only a breathy whisper. "They know everything."

"Thanks for the company I suppose… See you later." Shiki left, her hair clip in her pocket, bag in hand, and tears hidden behind glassy hazel eyes.

* * *

Mimi found me after school, sleeping on the roof again. She then proceeded to drag me off, talking about how her boyfriend had just gotten her a cute new necklace, declared his love for her, kissed her nose, and it was adorable and what should she name their children? I simply smiled in lazy response and let her take me away to tennis practice, where I would sleep once more.

However, the day did not happen in its predictable way today.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Subachi Ayako, captain of the girl's tennis team and one of the few serious about the sport, shouted. "I've managed to set up a practice session with the boys team, but understand this: You will be _practicing_ and _honing your skills_ , not flirting and batting your lashes, faking injuries to get attention like last time! We are aiming for Nationals!"

A bunch of the girls in the crowd, mainly fangirls, began to protest or whine. I yawned, Mimi nodded at the announcement, already having a boyfriend meant she was no longer interested in anyone else. A few others agreed with the 'no flirting' thing, the regulars and some who didn't manage to make it onto the team but were still serious.

And this all led to me missing a good few hours of sleep, in a terrible exchange for being the referee of a match between Tezuka and Subachi.

"Game and Match to Tezuka- *yawn* Kunimitsu. 6 games to 3. Can I sleep now?" I directed my question to the other female on the court at the moment.

"Yuki-" I cut her off before she could very much start.

" _Shiki_." I corrected.

"Yeah yeah, now get on the court. Tezuka-san, would you mind playing against her? I believe a reality check is in order." Subachi shot a look at me, obviously thinking of how I barely participated in normal practices.

"But I never wanted to join in the first place, you know that too. So can I leave?" I argued half-heartedly.

"Mimi told me you had very admirable skills, and I trust her judgement, yet you've not shown me anything worthy of my time." Came the practiced response for whenever I tried to turn in a resignation letter, or quit altogether.

Goddamn it all, Mimi saw me return a ball _one_ time, and then decided tennis was my life and joy so of course joining the tennis club would be my life's ambition, and while I do love tennis, I'm not a competitive person by nature.

"And if I refuse? Then will I be expelled from the club?" I asked eagerly.

"No, instead I'll have Mimi practice doubles with you."

Oh, that was a threat. Mimi was a good singles player, good enough to be the regular in Singles 2, but doubles? Shoot me now. She always managed to say too much. Some people aren't suited for doubles, and one of those people is Mimi.

"Let's have a good game Yuki-san-" I cut Tezuka off as well.

" _Shiki_ , please. And yeah, good game, so-and-so whatever."

I shook his hand and turned to my half of the battlefield, weapon in hand. Subachi took my earlier seat atop the wall where archers fired and scouts shouted new orders. Tennis was very much like a battle, though hopefully not a bloody one, and I found some sense of quiet amusement in making it all seem as if the war was fought between rivaling kingdoms.

He served first, I insisted. I couldn't bother throwing the ball in the air as well as hitting it. Besides, I don't have much motivation for this match, I could sneak off if I am paired with Mimi for doubles and sleep on a park bench. Hope he doesn't tire himself out in this one-sided match, captains are important to the team as a whole.

"Shiki-chan, if you win, I'll treat you to Ponta for a week and give you all my old homework that I can find from primary school till now!" Mimi cheered.

Eyes widening, I smirked, settling back in position with a glint in my eyes. Motivation, check. Ponta always got me going, there's enough sugar in it to keep me awake for longer shifts. The paper was appreciated too, and it wouldn't be recognizable when I was done with it. My house was littered with paper, but not in its usual form. Though, I was pretty sure Mimi had no idea what I used the paper for, I just told her one day I'd take any old papers she had.

"Sorry Tezuka-san, can't lose now." I shrugged, then shot forwards to return the normal paced serve. My racket connected and adrenaline pumped into my veins.

He's good. Very good. I could tell he was holding back against Subachi earlier, but now I'm pushing him to his limits. I won't… won't disappoint anyone this time around. Me or him. I brought my right hand with my racket to my chest, looking up to meet eyes with Tezuka.

"Suit of Cards: Diamond Ace!" The ball shot away from me, the spin taking effect only a second later. Although, I bet after seeing it one more time would mean he could realize he just needed to hit it back before it bounced. The side spin on the ball was only placed on after it hit the ground, the side spin being the main part in it looking as if there were two balls.

"15-Love, Yu- Shiki!" At least Subachi remembered to say my first name.

"Guys, come over here and look! A girl's challenged buchou to a match and she's forced him to play with-" The voice of a stranger said, getting the facts wrong. I didn't challenge anyone.

"Saaa… _Yuki-chan_ has managed to make Tezuka play with his left hand." A more familiar voice than the first stated.

I froze, the new serve passing me. I turned to face Shusuke, spine straightening, gaze turning cold.

"15 all!"

"It's _Shiki_ , as I've said before. Don't try my patience with your mind games Shusuke. You know, considering the fact you're already not on such good terms with your brother, I would have thought you wouldn't try to cause anymore trouble." I watched as my words struck a note, cruel as they might be.

Yuuta was… That was… Yuuta was why Shusuke's name sounded so familiar the first time I heard it. He was Yuuta's 'aniki' that was supposed to be a long-time goal to be surpassed. Yuuta spent nearly all his time thinking up new strategies to beat Shusuke, from whenever I saw him and Hajime, and I have to admit, I helped a few times. He's too adorable to resist, like a tsundere puppy stuck in this clumsy tennager body going through a huge growth spurt.

"Let's continue then Tezuka-san. And I have to say, I'm surprised you're ambidextrous too. Then again, I don't pay much attention to anyone other than me." I held up my racket, closing an eye as I tilted my head so it looked as if my opponent's face was cut into diamonds.

"I'll play seriously when you push me to." My voice dripped with a taunt, but that was all it was. I wasn't very much challenging him as… implying I could and would do better if the match called for it. His choice if he wanted to face me like such. Though first, he must surpass himself.

We rallied for the next few minutes, scoring points every now and then. He took the lead since I yawned about three times, missing four balls. The games were dragged out, us both showing only a few moves. He did his Zero Shiki Drop Shot, and I have to admit, having it sound like my name freaked me out for a moment when someone called it out. Not Tezuka though, he's not the kind that says his move. I didn't use anything other than my Diamond Ace, he hasn't shown me enough potential yet. He did, however, find my way of countering it, hitting it back before it bounced. We were on the... eleventh game? The tiebreaker, if you will. Each of us with five games at the moment.

"40- 30, Tezuka in lead!"

Another rally started, fast-paced. We were both sweating and our breathing patterns were faster, more laboured. I pinpointed the spot in front of where Tezuka needed to go to return my flat smash, a powerful shot not from a lob, and aimed for there. That forced him to lob the ball, and the higher the sphere flew, the more relaxed I became. The sun was directly behind it, but that mattered little to me. Time to show another trick of mine, another card up my sleeve. I wasn't smashing this one, I just needed a falling lob to hit another special move.

"Suit of Cards: Two Silent Hearts." I whispered, the court falling, ironically, silent when my lips moved.

Have you ever noticed that noise a tennis ball makes when it hits something, whether racket, ground, or wall or etc.? That strange, resounding ' _tap_ ' or ' _pong_ '. It gives a sense of satisfaction when you're the one who makes that noise echo across the court twice, meaning you've won a point. But in this move, _my_ move, there is no sound. It all stays quiet.

Diamond Ace was a simple move, not the spin, but the concept of the name. Ace meaning one, and 'Diamond' for the shape the ball bounces in. Easy to understand, not going into much depth. Two Silent Hearts, however, I named it with a thought in mind. You need two hearts to fall in love together, soulmates if you will. Honestly though, it's more of a Romeo and Juliet thing, they had to stay quiet, or silent, about their love else they wouldn't be able to meet each other much. Heart because it's another suit in a deck of cards.

The ball fell towards me, falling down from its descent. I held my right hand close to my chest and in a gentle movement like water, because hearts are fragile things, so easily broken, I cradled the ball to slide across my racket as if it were on flat ground before flipping my racket so it all stood vertically on its side. That made the ball fly away from my side, over the net, and curve around Tezuka's outstretched arm.

However, my move was very similar to two others I had heard of before, a Buggy Whip Shot and the… Tsubame Gaeshi? Sparrow Return, I believe, was created by our 'darling resident genius'. Yuuta was right to say he was a challenge.

Two Silent Hearts was similar in how after touching the ground, it would crawl in a sense, so low and just riding the wind. It curved like the Buggy Whip Shot, once to reach behind the opponent, lightly touched the ground again, then curving back to the starting point. It was vertically elongated curves, meaning the curves were more at the top, or behind the opponent, than near the start and ending point. That made the dust stirred up by my move create a heart shape.

"40-all!"

". . . Tezuka-san, your fans are taking pictures of you in a heart shape caused by the dust in my move, I am so sorry if photoshopped pictures end up online later." I bowed, my racket pointed down.

". . . Ah, it's still your turn to serve Shiki-san." Tezuka's voice made me look up, noticing the dust was slowly fading back to the green. He didn't seem like he cared, but there was a slight twitch in his jaw that told me he did.

"Right. Exactly so." I mumbled, focusing back on the game.

Last shot. Should I use… Nevermind, Tezuka still hasn't shown me he's ready yet. Not yet, perhaps when he has full confidence in using his left arm, but not now. He's afraid to use it to its full potential, but I wonder why? I'll just do a net serve for now.

The ball was propelled away from me, tapping the net, then tilting over the edge. Tezuka appeared before it in an instant, eyes trained on it. I realized his racket had dropped. It had become more subtle, less than 4 cm now, but I managed to see his arms flex when he lowered his hand. I ran up to meet him at the net as his racket slid the ball back over, in the infamous Zero Shiki Drop Shot.

I slid on my knees the last few feet, my knee length shorts flying up to bare exposed flesh to the hard ground. I briefly ignored the pain, as my racket's edge connected with the ball. I swept it to the side as I pushed it back up, making it go over sideways, further away from Tezuka to give me more time. Already being at the net, Tezuka was able to return the ball, but not without difficulty. Since it was so close, he had to bend his knees, and with it falling over the net with such low power, he was forced to lob it to keep it in the air. I took my chance, quickly gathering myself onto two feet and jumping into the air. I was able to put more power behind the ball, making it fly back to hit the baseline.

Right on point. Tezuka must not have expected me to hit it back before it bounced.

". . . . . ." A silence fell onto the court.

". . . . . . . . Um, thanks for… the… match?" I winced, shrugging my shoulders, not quite sure what to do.

"Thank you for the match Yu- Shiki-san." Tezuka's alright I suppose, at least he remembered what to call me.

". . . Yo, Mimi, what time is it?" I turned to face my... friend? My... _acquaintance_ who now stood with Kurata Subaru, her boyfriend for… how long? They met before I transferred over to Seigaku, I think Mimi said more than a year or two.

"It's 5:38, why do you ask?" Mimi dropped Kurata's hand, having been reading his watch.

"... I have… twenty-two minutes left, it'll take five to change, ten to get back home, then another five to get to there…" I mumbled calculations to myself, walking towards the changing rooms, passing incredulous stares I guessed were about the match Subachi wasn't even able to declare the winner to.

My knees still hurt from the sliding, I'd need to wrap them in bandages first. I'll do it later though, when I'm changing clothes again anyways. I left the school shortly afterwards, clothes now changed into the male uniform. My order was messed up, I still blame Jin, and instead of female, I got the male set of clothes. It costs too much to buy the other one, and this is warmer anyways, so I can deal with it.

Which reminds me, I should go visit them this weekend…

* * *

Whoever said, she wasn't a sociable person, was right.

Whoever said, she wasn't a competitive person, was right.

Whoever said, she was a bad tennis player, was dead wrong.

* * *

 **Probably not my best work, but I'm running low on energy here, yet I also told Lynxkitten I'd update on Friday this week.**

 **OTL**

 **It's 9:37, I think I'm in the clear. 9:37 P.M.**

 **Fun Fact: Shiki once chased a white butterfly through busy traffic and her only injury at the end of the day was a scraped knee. She has from then on thought white to be her lucky color, despite snow (Yuki) also being white. The white butterfly turned out to be a moth, although Shiki has never figured it out.**


	4. Gullibility, Gratitude, and Assumptions

Whoever said, she wasn't a nice person?

Whoever said, she couldn't _try_ to be a nice person?

Whoever said, she didn't have her own special skill?

* * *

"I'm so sorry I'm dumping this on you Shiki-chan! I forgot, please forgive meeeee!" I sighed as Ruki Daiki whined and jumped around. I don't see why he's doing that instead of me, I'm the one getting an extra job tonight. Two more shifts, and I'm not even getting paid, what a bother.

"It's fine Ruki-kun, I don't mind. I don't have anything important lined up for tonight anyways…" I mumbled, cracking my neck, which was probably a really bad habit to have once I thought about it. ". . . Besides sleeping of course."

"I'll make it up to you Shiki-chan, anything you say! Oh, and you know you can call me by my first name!" Daiki took hold of my hands between his own, clutching them to his chest, eyes in their sparkly puppy mode. Few could resist. I was one of the few.

"Ah? Really now Daiki-kun? Anything?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering how far I should push this favor.

Daiki began to sweat bullets, looking to the side nervously. "W-Well, maybe not _anything_ you say, but I'll… try my best?" He gave me his puppy eyes again, making me wonder how a goddamned _17_ year-old was so good at doing that.

"I expect payment in food and drink, preferably something sugary and orange ponta." I stated with a blank face before a small smile tilted my lips. He was a nice person to be around, I didn't want to lose that by asking for too much.

"Just the usual then Shiki-chan? Alright, when do you want it?" Daiki released my hands, smiling at me as always.

"... I'll tell you then." I shrugged, looking away. I could afford to save it for maybe a special occasion, or maybe when I'm out of stuff to eat. I still have that loaf of bread back home, I can make that last a few more days. I'll keep on drinking tap water, or from the public water fountains… Maybe I should splurge and get a Ponta tomorrow at school...

"Thanks again Shiki-chan, I'm forever in your debt!" Daiki ran off to change his clothes, already unbuttoning his white collared waiter's shirt.

I went back to checking the orders. Number 32, one black coffee, one lemon Earl Grey tea, one thai iced tea, and a hot chocolate with whipped cream and extra marshmallows. Sounds very familiar…

"Thanks again Shiki-chan, if you ever need me to cover a shift, I will too!" Daiki cried, running past me to the family dinner he forgot he had. It was a lucky thing for him that it was casual, he would have near killed himself trying to get a tux in time.

"Welcome…" I mumbled, even though I was already well aware of him being gone.

Which reminds me, for order 32, I also need a green tea cake, a strawberry tiramisu, the special flavored wasabi cupcake from this week's eccentric menu, and a triple layered fudge brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Still sounds so familiar, two of these orders, but they rarely come with any company. Must be a coincidence order 32 has the same orders as what Hajime and Yuuta would get each time they came by.

I slid the tray with the prepared food over to the ready counter (which was really more like a window in the wall) hand flicking at the dangling wind chimes to alert the waitress for whatever table this went to. I turned back around to get the next order ready and to decorate the cake that should be finished baking-

 _Ding!_

-About now. Where did I leave that piping bag with the vanilla frosting? And did Daiki slice the mangos for decoration yet? Damn it, he forgot the sprinkles to the cupcakes too… How annoying, more work.

* * *

"Why did you come here again Aniki?" Fuji Yuuta sighed deeply as his brother continued smiling.

"Saaa… I can't even check up on my younger brother now?" Shusuke's voice was a smooth riddle, his rhetorical question taunting his sibling.

"Fufufufu… I'm more curious as to why you've dragged Tezuka along. Or more like _how_." Mizuki Hajime twirled his hair around a finger, his strange laugh causing other patrons at other tables to wonder whatever created in Hell made that noise.

"Saaa… Who are you?" Shusuke frowned thoughtfully at Hajime, effectively rendering him speechless with annoyance, just as always.

Tezuka sighed inaudibly. He was here on a few reasons, the main three being his mother had requested he pick up a cake for his grandfather's upcoming birthday (Green tea flavored with vanilla icing and raspberry cream filling, fresh fruit on top, mango slices lining the sides in an overlapping pattern.), Shusuke had… _asked_ him to come along, and nobody can say no when Shusuke _asks_ them something like this, and also because he had to pick up dessert for his family tonight as his father had recently been promoted.

He didn't even want to be here in the first place.

"Reina, I've got order 32 ready, but where did Kiki go?" A familiar voice stopped the only male wearing glasses at table 4 from continuing his thoughts. It sounded a lot like his lazy partner for the project he could already see as a huge problem.

"Kiki's in the bathroom, she's helping a mother clean up! The lady's child threw up, do you know where the mop is? And could you please serve table 4? That's where order 32 goes." Kisuraki Reina, a 23 year old who worked at the cafe, passed by the kitchen's order window, sliding trays of dirty dishes into prepared bins as she asked the high school third-year.

"Mop's in the storage closet, and I'm sure table 4 can wait for Kiki to get back-" The lazy voice was sharply cut into, causing the younger girl to wince slightly.

"Shiki!" Reina barked. "Get out here and just serve the table! It's not that big of a deal, and besides, aren't those your friends?" Reina bustled away before she could get an answer to her rhetorical question.

That comment got Shiki's attention, and her head quickly turned to table 4 where four males greeted her sight, causing her to sigh tiredly. She didn't mind Yuuta who she still thought of as a cute tsundere puppy, Hajime knew better than to bother her on a bad day as today was a _very_ bad day (Having had been forced to play a tennis match, become partners with an icicle for an important grade that could compromise her already iffy scholarship, and then pick up two additional shifts that led into the late night because of the idiot Daiki who forgot his family dinner.), Shiki was near positive Tezuka could shut up, but the main problem lay in the _tensai_. She only hoped the genius was smart enough to leave her alone.

"They're not friends, they're strangers that I know the names of who are coincidentally close to my age." Shiki grumbled, stepping out of the kitchen, frown on her face. "Not my fault our mothers happened to get knocked up around the same time, then decided to live in Tokyo."

"And don't forget to smile!" Reina's far off voice called back, causing Shiki's eye to twitch.

Shusuke noticed his companion's eyes stray from the table, so of course he would stop teasing his brother for a split second to follow along. Crystal blue eyes hidden behind his ever constant close-eye smile trailed to meet the sight of a certain brunette. His smile turned into more of a smirk.

He himself didn't know why he was so… _interested_ in the girl, she just piqued his curiosity. Her attitude towards everything was relaxed and lazy, unlike how many other of his classmates and peers spent their time chattering about the adult life ahead of them. He'd noticed her before the encounter in the library, but it was just casual glances out of the corner of his eye, no greetings exchanged. They were just in the same grade, they had different social statuses and friends, they could have gone the rest to their lives without a single word past polite hello's and goodbye's said, but fate had a different route it seemed.

Now he was simply… _curious_ as to why she was carrying their food to them. A part-time job at this time wasn't very unheard of for the ages they were at, but Shiki was the one of the last he saw to have such a responsibility.

With his older brother off his back about when he could visit home again, Yuuta breathed a sigh of relief. Although, he would be mildly intrigued as to what had stolen away his attention. When he as well turned his steel gray eyes to the side, he wasn't all that surprised to see Shiki, he did remember in some part stuck in the subconsciousness of his mind that she worked a shift at this time. However, he didn't expect to find his older brother staring (if you could call it that with his eyes closed) at her as well, and why was she walking out here? He only saw her leave the kitchen when her shift started and she hadn't gone in yet, or when she was picking up a shift for another person, more than most times still in the kitchen, and rarely at the register. But as an actual server? He supposed there was a first time for everything…

"Yuuta-kun, you noticed her as well?" Hajime slid his dark blue eyes over to the girl balancing two trays, one on each hand. In a stumbling walk with her light hazel eyes fixated on the patterned ground, she made her way over to the table.

"Saaa… Do you need any help _Yuki_ -chan? It looks like you're about to fall." Shusuke commented with his sweet smile, although his relaxed posture showed no signs of being the one to help her.

"Pass me a tray Shiki, I can take it from here." Yuuta offered, quickly figuring out what was wrong. It was only the slightest things Yuuta had grown accustomed to seeing, he did need to be as observant as possible living with his brother.

Whenever Shiki was tired, there wasn't a 'tell-tale' sign simply since she was _always_ tired. But Yuuta figured out on his fourth trip to the little cafe that Shiki's eyes seemed to sharpen into little daggers when she got angry. Much like how others (his brother Shusuke) would glare at somebody they disliked, that was how they looked. It was just that Shiki's eyes were subtly directed at the whole world, or at least all of humanity. However, few people noticed as they were either too busy trying figure out where the creepy killer intent came from (When Shiki got _very_ pissed off, which only occurred once with Yuuta and Hajime there to witness.*) or the fact few ever looked her in the eyes long enough to figure it out. Yuuta hadn't found out what could cheer her up yet though.

". . . It's my job, so I'll do it." Shiki took the last step to reach the table at a good distance. She lowered her left arm, sliding the tray with drinks onto the table. Quickly following by setting down the cakes one at a time, she distributed the drinks and cakes as such so everybody got their correct order, from what she could guess.

The hot chocolate and brownie went to Yuuta whom she knew as an extreme chocoholic like her. The lemon & Earl Grey tea and strawberry tiramisu went to Hajime who rarely ordered much else. She figured it would be Shusuke who ordered the thai iced tea and the wasabi cupcake, because she just couldn't picture the stoic Tezuka with that. And that left said stoic male named Tezuka with black coffee and the green tea cake.

"If you need anything-" Shiki started.

"Oh my Kami Shiki, I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!" Kikuchi Kiki, a 22-year old waitress, ran up to the table, panting and nearly out of breath.

"I'm your assigned waitress, remember me? I had to help out a customer, so now I'm back!" She chirped, smiling at everyone. "Thanks so much for covering for me Shiki-chan! If there's anything I can do, just name it, I'll try to help you!"

Shiki gave Kiki a side-glance, wondering if the fact 'Mimi' and 'Kiki' sounding so similar caused the two to be very hyper and be born like that. Although, she mused, she did find Kiki more mature, knowing when enough was enough and having her serious moments. Mimi, on the other hand was more spontaneous 24/7, never stopping to think about the consequences until the act had been done.

"Can we get five minutes with her?" Yuuta spoke up, eyes taking on a memory. His brother easily recognized it as how Yuuta looked when he was recalling something embarrassing, usually caused by Shusuke himself.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sure that won't be a problem, you can chat with your friends for a while. I'll pass on the message to Reina as well. Shiki-chan, do you have anything important baking at the moment?" Kiki turned to the younger female who was blinking in what seemed a confused manner.

"No, I took out that weird green-tea flavored cake earlier, but I'm leaving it to cool before I ice it." She tilted her head. "But why exactly did you ask me Yuuta?"

The door's hanging wind chimes rang.

Kiki smiled once more before heading off to greet the new customers, along with taking away the trays Shiki had used. Yuuta's face was set in determination, eyes glowing with a fire.

"Show me that card trick again, I swear I'm going to find the red queen at least once in the five minutes we have!" Pushing away some of the pastries, to clear a room on the flat surface for Shiki, the girl realized what he meant.

"You mean the three-card monte? Sure, why not…" Shiki yawned as she pulled out a deck of cards from her apron pocket.

"You in Hajime?" Light hazel eyes slid over to the other St. Rudolpher.

"Of course, fufufufufu." He twirled a strand of his hair around a finger, leaning his forearm on the table.

". . . You two interested?" Shiki sighed, turning to the other males, her fellow Seigaku-ers. She figured being polite for five minutes wouldn't kill her. And this was going to be Kiki's tip, she didn't want to mess up for another.

"Saaa… You'll have to explain it to me Yuki-chan. I think I'll only watch first." Shusuke smiled his (evil &) angelic, closed-eyes smile at her. Shiki only blinked boredly upon hearing her family name being used by him again. (Shusuke was quite disappointed at the lack of reaction.)

"No thank you." We can all guess who that came from… *cough* Ice-cube wearing glasses. *cough* *cough*

"Then I'll start. Follow the red queen, her suit being hearts, the target of this activity. Dismiss the Jack of Spades and the King of Clubs as the pawns." Shiki's voice took on a slightly dramatic flare, words practiced and told so many times before coming out easily.

Sliding out the deck from the small box it came with, she began to shuffle the cards. With the backs of each card facing her, she fanned them out face-down in her right hand. Her left hand hovered over them for barely a second before she proceeded to pick out three cards on which she slid onto the table face-up after each pick.

Each card, in the respective order she named, showed up side-by-side, the pawns corralling the target.

Hajime let out a low whistle, his eyebrows raising. Yuuta rolled his eyes, then trained them on the only red card in the middle of the trio as Shiki slid her remaining cards back into the box. Hajime laughed his strange laugh once more.

"Looks like there may be a flaw in your plan this time Shiki." Hajime's blue eyes looking over the queen of hearts, which had a slight fold on its top right corner. Yuuta looked up to see how Shiki would respond, but found nothing more than silence and slight amusement.

He was suddenly glad he looked up. Yuuta nearly missed the lightening of Shiki's eyes, what used to be sharp daggers becoming something more like hidden needles. (Although he still figured both hurt and he shouldn't piss her off anymore.)

Shiki raised an eyebrow, as if silently challenging Hajime. She picked up the cards, a pawn in each hand, and the Queen of Hearts still on the table. She flashed the pawns towards the two (or three) players before turning them back to face her.

"Good luck following the Queen of Hearts. Don't blink or you might miss something." Her voice seemed to taunt, despite still in a bored monotone.

Picking up the red card in her left hand, she showed them it again with it overlapping what the foolish marks- _**I mea**_ **n,** the _players_ could presume as the king for the jack was in her right hand facing them as well.

Turning both hands so her cards faced the table, Shiki slid out a card from her left hand, throwing it down to her right. Yuuta's eyes widened before narrowing onto it along with Mizuki and Shusuke. There was a slight fold on one of its corners...

"Saaa… And I expected more of a challenge." Shusuke seemed to pout slightly as Shiki threw her remaining cards onto the table and switch their places.

It was easy to follow the path of the card with the slightly bent corner, and Shiki's hands weren't moving too fast as well. When she stopped, the 'target' was in the middle once again.

"Care to place a bet?" Shiki tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. This seemed far more like a taunt than a careless suggestion, Hajime thought, with her being so confident.

"The middle one!" Yuuta smiled victoriously, as if the card had already been flipped over.

"Fufufufu… I agree with Yuuta-kun. The middle one." Hajime leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, smug smile resting on his face.

"Saaa… It wasn't very hard Yuki-chan. The middle one as well." Shusuke's patronizing voice sounded from his lips used to friendly teasing and ruthless blackmail.

"Why, we have three losers." Shiki stated boredly. "You can flip them over Yuuta, but you're all wrong."

"I told you, it's the one in the middle! See…?" Yuuta only stared as the King of Clubs stared back at him, a slight fold on one of its corners.

"Shall we play again gentlemen?" Shiki asked, what looked to be the beginnings of a smirk on her lips. Yuuta's eye twitched, and he uncovered the other two cards only to find the queen to the right. He sighed, then nodded for Shiki to continue.

She picked up the cards, bent the stray corner of the king back into shape, and showed them the queen covering the king in one hand, the jack in her other. Once more she lay down a card from her hand holding two first, and once more what appeared to be the 'target' landing in the middle at the end. Her hands seemed to move faster this time around.

"Go on." She gestured her right hand in a vague, circular manner over the cards.

"Saaa… It's the one in the middle again." Shusuke's face sporting a frown now. His words sounded sure, and his eyes called honesty, yet his gut feeling shouted 'Nope'.

". . . I have to say it's the one in the middle too. I saw it." Yuuta concluded, a bit annoyed he answered after his older brother.

"It's most definitely the middle one." Hajime chimed in.

"And we have three losers again." Shiki announced before yawning and mumbling something along the lines of "You know the drill Yuuta."

Yuuta turned over the middle card slowly, then sighed deeply when the king stared back him. Hajime turned over the right as Shusuke turned over the left, a jack for Hajime and the queen for Shusuke.

"Again?" Shiki asked, taking all three cards into her hands, cupping them gently between curved palms facing different directions.

"Yes." Hajime glared at her cupped hands.

"Of course." Yuuta met her eyes head on.

"Saaa… I saw the trick. The queen is where the king goes. I simply follow the king to find the red queen." Shusuke stated in a calm voice.

Yuuta's head snapped towards him, eyes wide. Hajime slowly turned to face him.

"What?!" Both shouted at the same time, earning looks from other patrons at the cafe.

"Saaa… Well, what we think is the queen is always instead the king. So what we think is the king would be the queen." Shusuke shrugged, then smiled at Shiki.

"Am I correct Yuki-chan?"

Shiki stared back at him, a blank face. Her lips opened, just the slightest.

"We'll see." She whispered.

Showed them the cards in the same way once more, queen and king in one hand, jack in other. As the first card landed on the table to Shiki's left, nobody paid much attention to it. They all followed the third card to land, as Shiki was alternating hands when placing cards. As skilled hands swapped them back and forth even faster than the last round, it was clear the last card thrown down had ended on the opposite side this time, now being on the right.

"So, where do you think?" Shiki sighed lightly, sigh turning into a yawn halfway through.

"Right!" Yuuta called, beating his brother. (Which he was happy about.)

"Saaa… the one on the right." Shusuke's voice decided in a very peaceful tone.

"I'm with them, fufufufu." Hajime smirked.

"All so confident, all so wrong." Shiki's lips curved into the slightest smile. "You do the honors Mr. Just-Follow-the-King."

Shusuke twitched at the nickname before letting it slide as he called her 'Yuki' while she had asked him not to as well. Flipping over the middle card, he found the jack, making his smile larger. Once down, one more to see if he was right. When he flipped over the card on the left, a red queen greeted him.

Smile fading, he flipped over the last card, the one on the right as he and the other two had guessed, to find a king. Questions arose, but they couldn't be asked without him sounding like a sore-loser.

"Once more? I have to get back to work soon." Shiki took the trio of cards into her hands.

"Yes, and this time, we'll go with the smart tactic that allows at least one of us to win." Hajime announced smugly.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Shiki questioned, bored eyes meeting his arrogant ones.

"Three cards, three players guessing, if each of us takes a card, one will be right! Fufufufufufufu..." Hajime cackled, positive he had trapped her.

". . . Wonderful idea, let's begin." Shiki, however, didn't seem very worried.

She showed them the cards in the same way as before. Nothing different there. When she placed them down and shifted them around, her hands did move quicker, though, Yuuta and Hajime were used to the speed raise in each round and Shusuke had caught on quickly. Her hands were flying as they moved the cards from place to place. The cards ended in the side-by-side position as usual, but the three players weren't worried, along with the fact they didn't pay as much attention with Hajime's plan.

"Fufufufu… I choose the one on the right." Hajime smirked, leaning back.

"Then I'll take the one in the middle." Yuuta guessed, hoping he was right as he leaned back in his seat too.

"Saaa…. I suppose that leaves me with the one on the left." Shusuke's smile turned a bit thoughtful. "Yuuta, I hope one of us wins."

"Fufufufu… I'm clearly the winner, as I came up with the strategy anyways." Hajime laughed.

"Saaa… Who are you?" Shusuke frowned at Hajime, the question making the ravenette's eye twitch.

"Hey, don't you want to see who won?" Yuuta cut in.

Shiki nodded. "How about you all flip your chosen card over on the count of three?"

The three quickly placed eager hands on the cards.

"1… 2… 3." Shiki counted.

They were all looking at gray. No black, no red, just simple gray. Along with a clownish smile.

Three jokers, laughing at them with fat lips.

Three jokers, seeming to say the joke was on them.

Three jokers, no jack, king, or red queen in sight.

Eyes open, Shusuke looked up with a frown to the dealer of the cards. In her hands, back pressed lightly to her lips and covering her mouth, facing them all, was a red queen.

"Saaa… There isn't an actual way to win, is there now?"

She blinked and held up her other hand to show the Jack of Spades and King of Clubs fanned out in them. Her smirk was hidden as her voice got muffled by the Queen of Hearts.

"No, not really if the dealer knows how to play his marks and cards the right way." Her smirk dropped before her hand did, taking out the box and sliding the six cards back in. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to decorate a cake. With an extremely annoying mango slices pattern along its side. And get a takeaway order ready."

As she began walking away, her steps paused for a moment, then stopped altogether. She turned towards the table with a small smile tilting her lips. A wind accompanied by the familiar wind-chimes and a cheerful "Welcome!" blew her hair to blow around her, strands flying through silence.

"Thank you. I needed that break more than I knew." Light hazel eyes shone with innocence and gratitude before fading back into lazy annoyance.

The four males wondered if it, no, if _she_ was only a part of their imagination and dreams along the whispering wind as Shiki walked back into the kitchen.

Behind the closed door, Shiki sighed deeply, sliding down to sit with her back against the wood. Taking a moment to gather herself, she pulled out the four of hearts from her deck. A smile at the simple design before it faded into a nostalgic frown. With another sigh, she stood, card slipped back into her card box.

"Now where did I put those mango slices?"

* * *

I hummed as I finally finished the godforsaken pattern. Each edge lined up perfectly, one side of the mango slices overlapping the next and the other side being overlapped. I had taken a bit longer to do it, but I suppose that's because I was the only one working in the kitchen at the moment, making me also the only one able to get the orders ready. I had prepared two (separate and specialized) smoothies, one strawberry parfait, and gotten another four already prepared sweets to the counter in the forty minutes I had to finish embellishing the cake that was an absolute pain in the neck to bake. Green tea powder was sold in Japan, yes, in Tokyo, yes, but not very close to the cafe. I had to run to a specialized tea shop on the other side of town in a much quieter community, buy the powder, then run back.

"Kiki, I've got the cake and takeaway orders ready, you said they were going to the same person?" I peeked my head out the window, also ringing the bell as I slid a tray with a chocolate cake and strawberry parfait on the counter.

"Yeah, it's somebody on table 4. Go and ask, oh, and also ask if they need help carrying the stuff. You know the policy." She replied, whizzing past me as she took away the orders for table 6.

Table 4? I hope it's not going to be too long of a walk if somebody does need help. The policy was that a helper, most of the times being Daiki or Shin or Suta (The last two were sick today.) would have to help the customer bring their takeaway order back to their home if there was too much for them to carry alone.

I sighed, then walked back outside the kitchen with cake and other sweets in hand, having put them in protective boxes already. Table 4 was still the same people. Tezuka was reading a book on one of the sides second closest to me with Shusuke besides him, closer to the door. Across from Shusuke was Yuuta, and Mizuki was across from Tezuka. It looked like Yuuta was getting angry at something his brother had just said, Mizuki got ignored by Shusuke and was also pissed off, and Tezuka seemed to be the only sane person as he flipped over a page in his novel.

"Excuse me," I started, shifting from foot to foot as they all turned to me. "But did one of you order a cake? And some pastries to go?"

"I did, thank you." Tezuka stood, taking the boxes from me. I blinked, then looked up at him. It never struck me that he liked sweets… Maybe it's for somebody else? That makes more sense.

Reina took this moment to come over and check on me/us. She grinned, then hugged me. I kept my face passive as I was squeezed tightly.

"Shiki-chan, the after school rush is finally over! We're back to the regulars now, but no slacking off! Oh, you're the one who ordered the cake and other stuff right? Can I please see a receipt of the purchase?" Reina took control of the situation quickly.

After Tezuka showed her the receipt, I was already halfway back to my safety zone, AKA the kitchen. But of course it was ruined.

"Shiki, get back over here. There's more than he can carry alone, even if the customer doesn't ask for help, you know the policy." Reina stated, sending me a disapproving glare.

Tezuka didn't even try to stop Reina as she took the cake from his hands and pushed it into mine. He learns quickly, Reina is not to be messed with on her morals and cafe policies and rules.

"Fine, but who's going to take care of things in the kitchen?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Daiki of course." Reina answered easily.

"Daiki-kun left." I told her bluntly.

"What?! But then why didn't he tell me he couldn't be here for his shifts-" Reina paused, eyes narrowing at me. "Shiki-chan. . ."

I sighed, shrugging as best as I could holding the cake. "It's only three more shifts, I'll be fine. Besides, you know the twins are out today so they can't help. And Daiki-kun had a really good reason."

Reina frowned at me with worried eyes. "I'll have Kiki take over the kitchen while you help deliver the cake. You should take better care of yourself Shiki-chan, it's unhealthy with all the work you take on by yourself." She shook her head and lightly closed her eyes as a small smile bloomed on her lips. "In all honesty, you're just a big softie who can't say no to somebody in need."

I rolled my eyes as she walked away. Turning to Tezuka, I gestured with my head in a 'lead the way' kind of way. He nodded, slinging his racket case over his shoulder and put away his book. He began walking out the door after nodding a goodbye to the others at table 4. I followed before my steps faltered just before the doorway.

"Wait, which way are we going?" I asked, cake box dangling from my fingers hazardously. Although, of course I would never drop it, I took so long to make it after all.

He told me where his house was. I nodded, then hesitated a second more. I could give it to her now so she won't have to wait for my shifts to end so late. That would work.

"Do you mind waiting a moment? I need to get something." I didn't bother for an answer, simply walking back over to set the cake on table 4. Shusuke looked up at me with his smile, which I promptly dismissed.

"Reina, I put the money in the register for my slice of cake." I called out as I strode back from my trip to the behind the counter where all the treats needing a colder environment where displayed within glass.

I walked back over to Tezuka who was waiting at table 4, observing the outside world as it passed by the windows.

"Sorry if I made you wait long, we can go now." I told him, picking the cake up in my left hand as I held a fat slice of strawberry shortcake in its decorative wrapper with three plastic forks in my right.

"Ah," He simply nodded at me before turning, starting out the door once more. I followed five steps behind him. Personal space and all.

* * *

A small tug on the back of my shirts helped me escape my wandering daydreams. I turned to see little Aiko, a small, nervous smile on her face. A blush stained her cheeks as she kept sneaking glances at Tezuka, who had by now noticed I had stopped, so he stopped as well.

"Shiki-nee, you're early today." She gazed at me with her emerald orbs, voice a tiny squeak.

"I have to work late tonight, and I needed to help deliver an order that was coming by this way anyways, so I figured I'd give you the cake now." I explained, crouching so I was at her height. "It's your favorite."

She squealed happily, clapping her hands. Her whole being lit up in excitement. "Really? Thank you Shiki-nee!"

"No problem love." I passed over the strawberry shortcake, her small hands taking it carefully as if it were made of gold and stardust.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried with a wide grin. I couldn't help but smile back.

Taking out a strip of ribbon I had found at school in art class that the teacher was going to throw away, I carefully weaved it through Aiko's hair after setting down the cake. Let the stupid cake be run over for all I care, Aiko deserves something nice. She's only 7 after all. A 7 year old girl who lives with her mother and younger brother in impoverishment. She's spilled a few hardships, including how they often went without running water or electricity.

"Thank you again Shiki-nee! I'm going to go share this with Okaa-san and Kaiba at dinner! Ne, Shiki-nee, I do like strawberry and all, but I think otouto likes it even more so I'm going to give him a bigger part of the cake!" She's still so innocent… I hope she never loses that part of her. I hope she never ends up like me.

"Oh, and are you Shiki-nee's boyfriend?" Aiko asked, making me blink in surprise. She was looking at Tezuka. What. No. No. No. Nooooooooo.

"Nope." I answered bluntly. Aiko pouted, but what for?

"Shiki-nee, then why are you walking with him? And you two are holding the same boxes! So you must be dating!" She defended her idea childishly. "And you two look so cute together!" What the-?!

"He's a customer at the place I work, and also a classmate of mine. I'm just helping him bring some stuff over to his house because he can't carry everything." I explained, standing back up with the cake. This was just getting silly now.

"But Shiki-nee, I bet you could get a boyfriend in an instant! You're so pretty, and smart, and nice, and, and-" Her eyes were sparkling as she babbled on about my nonexistent good points.

"Aiko, why are you saying I should get a boyfriend?" I sighed tiredly, switching the hand I was using to hold the cake.

"Because Shiki-nee deserves the best!" She exclaimed. "And that means the best boyfriend! Duh."

Huh, who knew Aiko could sass?

"Aiko," I sighed again. "I don't need a boyfriend. I have all I should ask for at the moment, and I'm not going to want one either. Don't give me those puppy-eyes Aiko. And you should understand that nobody needs a partner to have the 'best'. They can do that themself."

"B-But, the princess always needed a prince to save her!"

"Well I'm certainly not a princess, I can take care of myself."

". . . Am I a princess then?"

"Aiko love, if you really want to find a partner, find somebody who treats you well, somebody who will treat you like a princess. Even if you aren't one yourself."

"Okay Shiki-nee. Thanks again for all the stuff! I'll see you next week!" Aiko's personality bounced back with a smile. She was waving as she skipped away.

". . . Was that all you needed to do?" A voice made me look away from Aiko's figure that was getting smaller by the seconds passing.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, I just didn't want her waiting too long in the streets." I sighed, turning back to follow after Tezuka.

"I see." He responded simply.

I sighed again, sigh turning into a yawn halfway through. I saw him glance at me from the corner of his eye. Of course I'd ignore it in the end however.

There was no reason to ponder over it.

* * *

"Kunimitsu, is this your girlfriend?!" Okay, that's twice in a day, what the hell makes people think we're a couple? For hell's sake, anybody and everybody will have higher standards than settling for me.

"No." I answered in unison with Tezuk- Or I guess Kunimitsu. Or else this was going to get confusing.

"Oh, I'm sorry for presuming things, it's just that Kunimitsu rarely brings home friends, and even less girls." She had brown hair pulled into a ponytail, looked about 40, and her brown eyes are so warm and sweet.

"Okaa-san, I should put away the food in the refrigerator first." Kunimitsu said, turning slightly to me and holding out his hand. I figured her wanted the cake, so I carefully propped up the handle in his palm.

"And I should be going." I was about to turn tail, ready to leave.

"Won't you at least introduce yourself?" The woman, whom I figured was Kunimitsu's mom by now, asked politely. "I'm Tezuka Ayano, Kunimitsu's mother as you've probably guessed by now. Just call me Ayano-san dear, it'll be too confusing with the family name."

". . . I'm Yuki Shiki ma'am, pleasure to meet you. If you don't mind, I'd much rather you call me Shiki, my family name is easily confused for other people." I sighed just the slightest, having to bite down on my yawn. That would be rude. I shouldn't be rude to her.

"Are you sure you can't stay a few minutes longer dear?" She was offering her home to me? Willingly? How strange.

"I apologize for my hasty farewell, but I really must return to work Ayano-san. It was very nice to meet you. Please give the rest of your family my best regards, I hope you all enjoy the pastries." I bowed quickly, then turned so I could finally go.

How bothersome, I hate social interactions with humanity, can't I just be left alone in the kitchen? Or in a tree? Or just in Jin's room?

After all, they're pretty much the only places I feel safe.

* * *

Whoever said, she wasn't a nice person, was actually half right.

Whoever said, she couldn't _try_ to be a nice person, well, at least she tried, right?

Whoever said, she didn't have her own special skill, was sorely mistaken.

* * *

 **In case you were curious about when Shiki got** _ **very**_ **pissed off:**

 ***A female customer was being not so gently persuaded to leave by whom all could tell as a stranger to her, and in swooped Shiki, pretending the girl worked there and dragged her 'back' to the kitchen. Then she came back out to the harasser, whispered something in his ear, and sent him packing, cold sweat along his neck.**

 **And a quick question, how many of you read any of my other stories? Simply curious.**

 **And guys, if you're big on Ouran High School Host Club like me,** ' **Our Entwined Lives' by Lura Elsworth is amazing. It's Kyoya x OC, one of the best if not already the best on here. Seriously check it out, it's so cute and sweet and has this nice pace to it set out.**

 **Oh, and to my Guest reviewer S: Naw, the moth thing was just a fun fact. Shiki thought (and still thinks) it was a butterfly. Thanks for your review. :)**

 **Thank you all who reviwed, but somehow I am unable to see the new ones...? Anybody else having this trouble?**


	5. Changes in the Scenery, Changes in Life

**Right, warnings: swearing. C'mon, it's Akutsu Jin. And I think Shiki's sworn before…? Ah well, here's your heads up.**

* * *

Whoever said, she didn't have her own problems?

Whoever said, she didn't have her own friends?

Whoever said, Akutsu Jin was such a bad guy?

Whoever said, she even wanted to do the project?

* * *

"What are you doing here?" I asked, staring at the silver-haired male with a blank expression.

"It's not as if you don't already know." He rolled his eyes, annoyed frown curving his lips. "When are you out?"

"I have about 10 minutes left." I answered, turning to check if anything was on fire.

"I'll be outside." Jin reached his hand through the order window and ruffled my hair before walking away.

". . . That bastard." I sighed tiredly, shaking my head and pushing the now loose strands of hair behind an ear.

"I heard that bitch!" Jin yelled back, but I took little offense at being called a female dog. We took it in stride, being called such things by each other. Although, when another called me a slut, something which Jin has never done before, he did punch them in the face.

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. He's so immature, and I suppose that's rubbed off on me. I don't mind having something trivial in common with him, I enjoy it in fact. Or it's just that I'm too lazy to act upon it. It's strange, but it's like affectionate nicknames in a twisted sense. Our sense.

The next ten minutes fled by in two and a half heartbeats. It must have been because of the fact there were less orders and more time for me to daydream. It wasn't surprising, the shifts always did slow as it got later. 11:59 and going. We closed at twelve, midnight as always, offering some piece of sanity and solidness for many to sober up, forbidden couples to meet, and somebody just arriving from a different country, jet lag strong.

"I'm out. See you later." I called back to Reina, who was usually always working this late. Made sense, she was going to night college after this, and she never picked up a shift earlier than 5 P.M. She also took a break between 7 till 10 from what I knew.

"Alright, stay safe Shiki!" She called after me, shooing away anybody left inside.

"Hey." I said into the cool night air, eyes gazing at his profile. He was imprinted on my mind a long time ago, but still, it was nice.

"Hey." Jin replied, his own eyes on the sky and body leaning against the brick wall. He took a hand out of his pocket, the one on my side.

"I'm ready to go." I told him, looking at our hands as I laced my fingers through his.

"Alright." He pushed off the wall with a sigh.

"You should be asleep." I told him as we began walking.

"And you should be safe in your house, not having to deal with the fucking world." He deadpanned.

"But if you're a part of the world, of _my_ world, I can survive a bit longer." A small smile grew on my lips.

"How fucking poetic and sappy you are." He stated dryly.

"Trust me, I've had practice twisting words." I stuck out my tongue a bit at him.

"Of course you would." He muttered. "Vixen."

"You know it." I murmured, drifting closer to him until I could lean my head against his arm. I was still too short to lean my head on his shoulder, sadly, but this was just as good.

His hand around mine tightened for just a second, and then loosened again. My smile grew. He was a sweetheart, once you got past the bad parts. I guess I did just that, having had known him for more than two years. His gruff voice shook me out of my memories.

"What are you thinking about with that stupid look on your face?"

"How wonderful it is to be your friend." I answered without missing a beat.

"The hell is wrong with you?" He tried shaking me off him, but after only one half-hearted attempt, he stopped and let me rest my head using him as a human cushion.

"Everything. Everything's wrong with me." I already knew I was broken beyond normal repair.

"Then fix it." He growled. "You should know how."

"Time. Precious time and loving care." I sighed. "It'll still take quite a while."

"Well find a way to speed it the f*ck up."

"Sounds so simple until you've peeled back the layers and dissected it all."

"You're not a fucking frog, or machine."

"Nah, I'm human, and that's even worse. We're such complex creatures."

"No argument there. Sengoku and Dan are still trying to play nice with me, even though I'm back on the tennis team. I hate it, they're so fucking annoying."

"Did Dan try to hug you again?"

"He asked for a handshake. Something Sengoku said about taking small steps. I swear, that idiot's going to get himself killed one day with his fucking happy-go-lucky shit. Or at least get his ass sent to the hospital. At least he can't bother me there."

"How… _lucky_ for you."

"You did not just make a fucking joke..."

"I did."

"Fuck you."

"Please don't."

". . ."

". . ."

"... Goddamn it Shiki, you fucking vixen."

"I'mma take that as a compliment."

". . . Yeah. You should."

* * *

"Home sweet home."

"You already know how to get into any house with a bobby pin, you know you don't have to stay in this fucking dump."

"I love it here."

"You're not listening to a single fucking thing I'm saying, are you?"

"The forest around me, the open sky, fresh air and freedom."

"Whatever. I'm leaving."

"Goodnight Jin. Love you."

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

* * *

I woke up early the next day. Earlier than usual I think. I don't know the exact time, I never seem to, but it was cold, and that's all it took to make me get out of bed. I hurriedly tugged on my uniform over my warmest underclothes, the same ones I used as pajamas last night. An advantage to having the male uniform, I guess.

"Good morning." I said to the cat who would follow me to school every morning. He always came, but also always left, heading off to who knows where. Once he came with a train ticket in his mouth, from Kanagawa to here. Strange. I didn't mind the company though.

"Mrreow." He rubbed himself against my legs. I would have fed him if I had any food for such. In my bag was only a piece of bread I planned to eat at lunch.

"Sorry love, I didn't have breakfast myself. But a pretty kitty like you shouldn't have any problems begging for a few treats." I murmured, casting occasional glances at the feline.

He only purred in response, chasing after my legs with his tiny teeth, although he dealt no harm with his futile attempts for more attention. His claws and teeth posed no threat to me, he's never hurt me before. He's starved for some affection, that's all. I suppose we're quite alike, and I suppose that's why I give in to petting him every morning.

"Come here." I muttered, crouching down to scoop him into my arms, my school bag dangling from a wrist.

"I'll drop you off in a few blocks." I spoke, voice muffled in lavender and sushi scented fur. He's definitely better off than me, or perhaps he simply rolled in some lavender and hung around a sushi shop? I can only buy the cheapest soaps and shampoos that usually come unscented, and I can't remember the last time I ate sushi.

Such a lucky kitty. And as for my remark…

His answer came in the form of a purr.

* * *

"Stay safe." I set down the feline who spared me a single backwards glance before racing off on furry tip-toe paws.

"Little trickster." I muttered when I realized I had been duped into being his legs another morning. I couldn't stop the tired smile that spread across my face though. He was a sweet little thing, I didn't mind the extra sunshine on these gloomy school days.

I entered my classroom soon after, empty chairs greeting me as I took my own seat. Silence surrounded me, a peaceful kind of quiet that left me wishing I could sprout wings and fly away from all my responsibilities. I closed my eyes, soaking in the small piece of sanity that came with being alone in a place full of memories.

"Ah, good, good mornings, fresh air and sunshine, birds are chirping, and everything is so peaceful- Eh?! What are you doing here Yuki-chan?" There went the silence, broken courtesy by Teruma Takao. Isn't talking to yourself one of the signs of insanity?

"Sensei, if you wouldn't mind, please don't address me by my family name, it... annoys me. And I'm here because I attend school here." I mumbled, opening my eyes to send a neutral look his way.

"Yu- _Shiki_ -chan, I'm just surprised you're here so early again. Any reason why?" He placed his briefcase by his desk at the front before taking a seat on his desk. Literally, _on_ his desk, ankles lightly crossed, hands folded, facing me, his trademark gentle smile playing across his lips.

"It was too cold." I murmured, marking him off as no threat to me. I wondered if it would be considered _too_ rude to sleep now? My eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds before slowly opening again, repeating in that sequence.

"Ah, a wonderful reason. I presume you have brought a lunch today?" He's always asking after his student's well-being, mainly eating habits.

It's strange, having somebody care that much. Mimi's always with her boyfriend at lunch, yet I don't mind the nonexistent company. After all, how awkward would it be to be the only one without food during lunch?

"Yeah." I mumbled shortly, finding no motivation to elaborate further.

"That's good, at your age, nutrition and enough sleep is important to stay healthy." He spoke in a calm tone, hints of gentle persuasion throughout it.

"Mmm." I hummed, laying my head down on my arms, ready to drop the subject.

"But it seems you've been skipping out on both elements." He just had to continue…

"Sensei, it's not important. Please don't-"

"It _is_ important Shiki-chan, you should know that. What time do you sleep? How often do you even eat? You're always resting in class, and the other instructors say the same happens in their classes as well. I've seen you sleep through lunch many times too." He gave me a flat look. "If you can't pull your act together, I'll have to bring your parents into this."

I jolted into a sitting position when he said that. I refused to make eye contact, keeping on my best poker face. Head tilted just the slightest bit up, exerting a subtle level of dominance and control, yet not too much to look as if I'm challenging the other. Eyes at half-mast, neutral. Hands folded in front of me, one over the other, not clasped tightly or interlocked gently, simply overlapping. Face relaxed, as if I'm waiting for the nonexistent line to move forwards.

The perfect poker face, created to mask all secrets.

". . . Shiki-chan?" His voice came in a slightly startled way, concern not hidden at all.

"Sensei, I have already asked you politely to drop the matter. How I take care of myself does not connect to you in anyway. I won't be answering any further questions." I murmured just loud enough for him to hear.

I closed my eyes all the way as I tensed up. Why did I do it again? I still had this habit, it seemed. It was a reaction I found hard to control around certain people. Read, all people, minus some exceptions. I'd go into my shell, behind my shield of masked… everything. A perfect poker face.

"Shiki-chan, if it makes you that uncomfortable, I'll drop the subject. But if you ever need to talk about anything at all, I'm always here to listen."

I slumped down, dropping my posture in favor of my customary position for when I would nap.

"Thank you." I mumbled. "I apologize for my behavior earlier, please don't call my parents." As if that was possible.

"Alright, but if it gets too serious-"

I heard the door slide open once more before Teruma's cheery voice came back. It was far lighter and more inviting than the flat and somber voice he had just used with me.

"Tezuka-kun, good morning to you as well! Shiki-chan is your partner if I recall correctly, which is just perfect. I can tell you two about a few things concerning the project now, so you won't have to worry about missing anything if you fall asleep in class Shiki."

I raised my head as Tezu- _Kunimitsu_ greeted me and Teruma. How bothersome that I have to mentally address him as Kunimitsu now, since I met his mom. It's how my mind works, at least.

"Good morning." I nodded at my project partner, wishing we weren't partners so I could solo the project.

"Alright, first things first, as I said when you weren't here Shiki-chan, partners will now be sitting together up until the end of the project. When a month is over, I'll let everyone choose new seats again. You two can choose a desk right now." He waved his hand in a vague way over the empty classroom.

"I don't care." I mumbled, closing my eyes again.

"Where you're sitting is fine." I heard the chair next to me slide against the floor, allowing a presence to slip in beside my own.

"Then I'll continue. The project will be about history, but it's not your usual research and report kind. It'll be about your history, or, actually, it's more concerned on your partner's past. Because your past is only the gateway to your future and the history you will set in stone. That's why you needed a partner Shiki-chan."

I rose at that. I couldn't stop my hand from trembling, having to clench it into a fist so it wasn't as noticeable.

"We have to learn about each other's lives?" I tried to keep my eyes soft, but they turned into knives with his answer.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I refuse." It was getting harder to control the volume of my voice. "My past should stay in the past, and I won't have another screwing around with my life, and my secrets!"

"I understand why anyone would be concerned about their privacy being breached, but I have installed a rule to help with that." I relaxed a bit more at those words. "If your partner asks you something, anything at all that you're uncomfortable with, you have no need to answer."

I breathed out, eyes back to an uncaring glaze. "Alright. I can deal with that." I whispered, turning away towards the window.

"But everyone is required to fill out the most basic questions with honest answers. It shouldn't be anything to worry about, simple things like your favorite color, favorite animal, family members and their jobs, that sort of stuff."

How was I supposed to say I couldn't answer some of those? My family, I guess it wouldn't be too hard. But their jobs? That was going to be awkward.

* * *

"Oh, right, and it'll be required for meetings with your partner's family to get a better understanding of them. Feel free to include baby pictures!"

He certainly didn't mention this earlier. I was pretending to sleep as Teruma continued on with explaining the project, he told me and Tezuka most of the details before anyways.

A meeting with the family… that's going to go _so_ well, please note the sarcasm. I need to talk with the principal later. This is such a bother.

"I hate this already." I muttered, lifting my head to send a death glare at the wall in front of me. Tezuka glanced at me for a brief second, but returned to focusing on Teruma.

"With all of that explained, I'll be giving you guys the rest of this period to start on the project. It's Friday, so I suggest beginning as soon as possible before the weekend." Waving his hands in a vague manner, Teruma settled back in his seat and pulled out a book as everyone began talking around us.

"Shall we start now Shiki-san?" Kunimitsu already had a notebook out, pencil poised.

I groaned and took the notepad from his hand. He didn't protest, just watched me as I began scribbling away with my own pencil. I finished with an over dramatic flourish of the pencil, setting it on my desk. I began reading over my writing in a monotone.

"Name, Yuki Shiki. Favorite color… don't have one I suppose. Favorite animal, the kitsune. Family members, mom, dad, and younger brother. Occupations for all of them are… non applicable. Your turn." I slid the paper over to him, closing my eyes as I rested my head on my arms once more.

I watched as he began writing. For family, he listed mother, father, and grandfather. His mother was a house spouse, his grandfather a retired police officer, his father a company employee at a local firm. How nice for him. How happy. How happy…

Sighing, I stared outside where the leaves danced with the wind, fluttering and falling. Yet despite falling down, they still remained so graceful, swaying to unheard music. Gentle and calm and all so f*cking-

The pencil in my grip snapped.

Noise dimmed, one voice rising over the low murmurs and whispers. I could feel the watchful eyes, greedy for gossip to pour out their mouths.

"Shiki-chan? Are you alright?" Teruma's smooth baritone resounded in what felt like an enclosing space around me.

"It isn't fair." I told nobody in particular. "It's all so unfair." I muttered, tugging the notebook back over to me. Kunimitsu didn't resist, letting me take it.

I crossed out the **N/A** I had marked deep into the section about my family's jobs.

I penciled in above it, pressing down so hard the tip of my ruined pencil broke off and smudged the end, ' **Deceased** '.

* * *

I tilted my head to the side a bit, staring at the markings on the paper, one question in particular.

"I guess I do like silver better than the other colors."

So I wrote that in as well.

* * *

Whoever said, she didn't have her own friends, was also quite wrong, depending on your definition of 'friends'.

Whoever said, Akutsu Jin was such a bad guy, eh, sort of.

Whoever said, she even wanted to do the project, has some really bad intuition skills.

Whoever said, she didn't have her own problems, was terribly wrong.

* * *

 **Hello people who hopefully aren't going through what I am.**

 **Guess who just went on an awesome field trip to an amusement park with their friends and family?!**

 **Not me! But I'm sure someone out there did! Yay for them! :)**

 **As for me, I have testing until the end of May. Boo. I can't update that much. :(**

 **Enough about that, here's something far better. To all ya'll genderbent Kuroko lovers out there, check out** **Our Treasure** **by Cheshire Heart.** **Oh god, I've been binge-reading this, I'm not all caught up yet, but this is one of the best fics I have ever read. (Haha, what do you mean I should have been writing my fanfics.) It's so, for lack of a rational vocabulary, *pterodactyl screeching* ASDFGHJKL; THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING STORY, YOU WILL NOT REGRET READING IT.**


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